The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-10-21
International COPYRIGHT.

AAFNAJ AOENRt AAt1i ~ Az AtAAuAI c0Ott
the matter must feel keenly the dis
grace, now fairly shifted from the
American publishers 70 The American
public. Of the wrong involved in the
absence of an international copyright
law. We prefer to put our demand for
it upon this ground at once. because we
believe we shall never have such alaw
ill we appeal to the common con-
science instead of the common interest.
With the common conscience it now
distinctly rests, for, however literary
piracy grew up. in the days before the
wrong had been duly considered, it
must now be owned hat American
publishers, with but one or two excep-
tions, are in favor of its suppression.
They stand with American authors in
this. and il is now the American nation
hat wilfully perpetuates an abuse
which in a small way is morally worse
than slavery in a large way. Slavery
compelled a mans labor, but it gave
him in return food, shelter, and cloth
ing, such as they were; literary piracy
seizes the fruits of a mans labor. and
gives him absolutely nothing in return.
There can be no question of the nature
Of the wrong. and no justification Of it
From time to time we hear that the
English also pirate American books.
but no one has the effrontery to urge
this in defence of our piracy of English
books; and every one knows that if the
English continued to pirate our books
for a hundred years the balance of
guilt would still be upon our side.
Moreover. every one knows that If we
enacted justice to the English author,
there would be an instant response on
the part Of England to our tardy re-
paration; in fact. prior publication in
Great Britain already secures for the
American author the protection which
our law denies to the alien upon any
condition.
We confess we have not much sym
pathy with the arguments Of those who
prove that foreign books would be just
As cheap with Il copyright law, and that
we should somehow find our profit in
doing justice to English authors. No
doubt we should, if honesty is the best
policy; but our people have no right to
,heap literature BY defrauding the
author; they could have cheap silks and
cheap wines by a like simple process.
We are not to give over wrong-doing
because it is wrong; and we are MOTTO
abandon literary piracy because it has
disorganized the publishing business,
but because it is a fiagrant injustice,
which no law. and no want Of law, can
change in its essence
Those who appeal to the motives of
self-interest in urging international
copyright are like the philanthropists.
Of no great effect in their day and gem
GRAFTON. who used to say that they did
not care for the slaves. but were OPP
posed to slavery because it was so ruin
GUS to the masters. The masters smil-
ed patiently under their burdens, and
kept on holding slaves; and probably
the literary pirates. unless they are
rescued by a compassionate statute,
will continue to bear their crushing
load without murmuring. But the
voluntary pirates are no longer numer-
Gus; they are very few; and this fact
makes their offence more distinctly a
national sin, because the nation could
so easily suppress them. Some Of us
may seek to escape completely in the
sin by refusing to buy the cheap pirat-
ed editions Of foreign books, as certain
z~ealots used to refrain from the sugar
and cotton produced by slave labor.
But this privation had no ~perceptible
effect upon the system OF slavery,
and for one just person who denies
himself a ten-cent copy Of an English
novel because it pays the author moth
nigga hundred Of the wicked will buy
it because 1t is a ten-cent copy.
1t is the slow conscience Of these
hundreds and hundred thousands that
we must reach before we Van hope for
an International copyright law; and
we ought not to be discouraged be-
cause we are indefinitely remote from
the desired end. After all. the Ameri-
can nation is not so wilfully as It is
ignorantly guilty in this matter. The
great mass of the people. even Of
those who buy books. have not the
least notion what a prated book is, y
what the sacred principle which il
outrages; they 90 nots know what copy
right is, international or otherwise.
But they can be told; and we venture
to suggest to our good friends Of the
international Copyright League that
they q very brief and very